Opinion

Most Recent Opinion Articles

Back in February, there was an unexpected controversy around the installation of a sculpture called “Homeless Jesus” by Canadian artist Tim Schmalz in front of St Albans Episcopal Church.
It made international news with the unfortunate tag line of “somebody called the cops on Jesus” when… read more about Finding a Room in the Inn

DAVIDSON – Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
When you write a column like this one that regularly pokes and prods local government to do the right thing, eventually they poke back. That finally happened on the recent column regarding the Town of Davidson’s proposed planning ordinance… read more about Poking the bear aka asking questions

North Carolina has seen one of the more dramatic changes of any state as far as the party of our elected officials is concerned. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at how we got here.
Most people who follow politics are now familiar with the political map being shown on any news show… read more about How redistricting has affected North Mecklenburg

by Dr. Donna Warren
What does a person do when facing the loss of a treasured four-legged companion to old age or sickness?
Many of us lost dogs and cats in our childhood, but the responsibilities of now being “the adult” in these circumstances carry a much greater burden.
Veterinary… read more about Losing a pet is never easy

Doctor expresses interest in joining Cornelius board
By Dr. Michael F. Miltich
Guest editorial
My brother had a placard at his business that says: "You cannot sell your mistakes for what they cost you." My saying is that “It is cheaper to learn from the mistakes of… read more about Commissioners shouldn’t delay filling vacancy

Davidson’s November monthly town board meeting saw one of the more spirited public hearings in recent memory. Like a stunned boxer taking a flurry of punches in the opening round, the town board and staff did not respond in real-time to citizen complaints about proposed changes to the town’s… read more about Ordinance changes would have wide-reaching effects

A few weeks ago, we told readers about the effort by the Metropolitan Transit Commission to gain support for its upcoming legislative agenda in Raleigh.
That agenda included requests for three items:
• Legislative permission to use public-private partnerships (P3s) to finance transit… read more about Playing 3-card monte on public-private partnerships

By Rick Short
Guest editorial
The affordable housing ordinance in the Town of Davidson has been taking punches from all sides recently. As one of only three mandatory affordable housing ordinances in North Carolina (the others being in Manteo and Chapel Hill), the relatively small… read more about Affordable housing ordinance on the ropes?

By Rick Short
Guest editorial
The size of the defeat for the “education” sales tax referendum in the Nov. 4 election likely surprised many in Mecklenburg County. Whether you supported or opposed it, it’s doubtful too many thought the margin would be over 20 points.
As someone who… read more about Questionable tactics in ‘education’ tax campaign

By Rick Short
Guest editorial
With Halloween upon us this week, we bring you the latest transportation-spending monster being planned for Mecklenburg County. This one involves new ways to fund a project that just won’t die – the Red Line commuter rail from Charlotte to Mooresville as part of… read more about Leaders try resurrecting money-sucking monster

By Rick Short
Guest editorial
Well, the honest answer to that question is “probably not,” and in the grand scheme of things, we should all be glad that’s likely not the case. With global crises like Ebola, ISIS, and a potentially sputtering world economy to put things in perspective, it is… read more about Could toll-road protesters decide Senate’s fate?

By Amelia Woodall
During the Oct. 18-19 weekend, I was able to be a part of an experience that changed my life and that will change the future of a local foundation’s Teen Council.
A Giving Spirit Foundation is a nonprofit that gives money to mothers in the greater Lake Norman area who… read more about Teen rubs elbows with celebrities for cause

Reading Carrie C. Causey’s story about Davidson's Gathering on the Green (see page 17) took me back to the scene of walking into my dad’s home six years ago just moments after he committed suicide.
As the ambulance rushed him to the hospital, I had to stay behind and give police a statement.… read more about Herald Weekly salutes those who serve

By Rick Short
Guest editorial
One would be hard-pressed to find a local issue in recent memory causing more confusion, anxiety and distrust of state and local government than the proposed HOT lanes project for widening Interstate 77. At the root of all that distrust has been the ineffective… read more about Outreach on tolls – Ministry of Truth-style

By Rick Short
Guest Editorial
If you listen to the pundits and believe the polls, it would be hard to describe the past few weeks as "smooth sailing" for the Thom Tillis campaign trying to capture the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat up for grabs this election cycle. Tillis has been… read more about NMRW provides safe harbor for Thom Tillis

MOORESVILLE – Heavy rains and thunderstorms prompted the United Way’s Mooresville/Lake Norman office to cancel its Day of Caring, but organizers realized an outpouring of support Sept. 13.
People called up the office in hopes that the agency could refer them to service projects that could be… read more about United Way engages community in fundraising

By Jeff Reid
Guest Editorial
I am a firefighter by profession. I work for the City of Charlotte and the Huntersville Fire Department. I am used to rescuing people; not them rescuing me, but that’s exactly what Be The Match did.
I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia in fall… read more about Transplant saved firefighter's life

Some people describe the United Way of Central Carolinas as an umbrella organization. I view the nonprofit, especially its Mooresville/Lake Norman office, as more of a far-reaching sprinkler system.
The nonprofit spreads awareness and donations to agencies that primarily serve people from Exits… read more about United Way prepares for Day of Caring

By Mark J. Neroni
By now, everyone in the Cornelius area has suffered through the congestion resulting from the Diverging Diamond Catawba Avenue bridge project over I-77.
I went to a meeting a few weeks ago and had to cross the bridge heading east. It took 20 minutes to travel the ½ mile… read more about Resident wants more information on toll lanes

Email us up to 50 words about things that drive you insane or witty observations that may prompt readers to spit out their morning coffee. Send them to peeved@huntersvilleherald.com Put the word “peeved” in the subject line. Emails will be kept anonymous. We will not publish your name or email… read more about Peeved: Residents sound off on what bugs them

By Kurt Naas
Guest Editorial
Last week, Widen I-77 published the results of NCDOT’s traffic and revenue study for the I-77 toll lane project.
The million-dollar study (containing 130 pages of expert analysis) concluded the project would support $9 tolls from Mooresville to Charlotte during… read more about Time for straight talk on I-77 tolls

A Denver resident with a successful financial firm in Uptown Charlotte asked me the other day how he could get his company included in next year’s Best of Lake Norman contest.
Since announcing our 300 finalists in last week’s edition, I’ve received similar emails from companies across the region… read more about Best of Lake Norman – the power lies with readers

Email us up to 50 words about things that drive you insane or witty observations. Send them to peeved@huntersvilleherald.com Put the word “peeved” in the subject line. Emails will be kept anonymous.
The town of Huntersville should be renamed U-Turnsville. I can't imagine doing a U-Turn is a… read more about Peeved: Residents sound off on what bugs them